Saia Kannagi
by Diana the Moon Queen
Summary: Kaze no Stigma. Kazuma reunites with his sister, who was disowned just like him. However, jealousy and fear begin to spring in Ayano's heart. New OOC. Cover image is Saia as a child.
1. Chapter 1

Let's just see how it goes, k? It's not like I'm taking a stab in the dark or anything. Of course, if a majority of you don't like it, then I will delete the story all together. Please enjoy and leave a review!

Kazuma and Ayano were teasing each other on the way up to his penthouse apartment. He was laughing at something she had said when he opened the door. He had left the lights turned off when he left, but for some reason, they were on. He heard a voice say, "It's been a while Kazuma. We have so much catching up to do. I don't even know where to start." He looked up, and slowly, a smile crept across his face all because of the woman that was sitting on his bed.

She was a very beautiful woman indeed. She seemed to be just about two years younger than Kazuma. She had a smirk on her face, and it was obvious that she was extremely arrogant. Her blonde hair that looked like a stream of gold stopped halfway down her back, as if she commanded it not to grow any longer. It was curly, and Ayano was convinced that this woman observed the ocean so much that she could weave its waves into her hair. She had dark green eyes that looked like leaves covered in shadow. She was wearing a white mini dress that had rhinestones on the bottom. They shined whenever she moved, and they resembled the great stars themselves. Her shoes matched the mini dress.

"I haven't seen you in a while," Kazuma said, with the smallest hint of mockery in his voice. The woman had a deep voice for a girl, but it still sounded feminine, "Yes; it has been too long, hasn't it?" She stood up, causing her dress to shine like crazy. Ayano was getting mad. Was the girl _flirting_ with Kazuma? She was nervous. It seemed that she had competition. The woman was so beautiful, that she seemed to actually shine. When Ayano took a closer look, she realized it wasn't just her imagination. The woman was actually shimmering with light.

"Enraiha! Come forth!"

Ayano pointed the sword at the woman's throat. "Are you trying to make moves on Kazuma?" she asked. "Now why would I do that?" the woman asked, as if the answer was obvious. When Ayano pointed the sword at her, she didn't even flinch. "Answer my question!" Ayano commanded. She felt Kazuma's hand hold the hilt of her sword. "Take it easy Princess," he said. "But she's-I mean-How could?" Ayano stuttered. "To answer your little threat, girl, I would never flirt with Kazuma because he's my own brother. Does that make you happy? Now, put your little toy away, and be careful how you speak to me!" the woman yelled at Ayano.

"Kazuma, you have a sister?" Ayano asked. He gave a single nod. "All the stuff I don't know about you just makes me mad," she told him as she put away Enraiha. "So you're Kazuma's sister that I never knew about. It's nice to meet you. I'm Ayano Kannagi," she said to the woman. "Are you sure that's your final answer?" the woman asked, "Because if I recall correctly, you just pointed a sword at me. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't really consider it to be nice meeting you, you obstinate pest. I swear, you make the most insolent friends Kazuma." Ayano smiled and gave a sarcastic laugh. Then, she said, " I'm sorry about my actions Miss. I think you're very pretty. The dress looks nice on you." The woman gave an arrogant little laugh and said, "I suppose that you are worthy of speaking to me. My name is Saia; Saia Kannagi."

Saia offered Ayano her hand to shake. Ayano took it, and they shook hands, but when she tried to let go, Saia kept a firm grip. After a couple of seconds, she let go. "I've never seen you around before. Were you disowned too?" Ayano asked. The instant she said the sentence, she covered her mouth with her hands. Saia looked into Ayano's soul with a cold, piercing gaze. "Yes, I was," she said solemnly. "I'm sorry!" Ayano apologized, "I didn't mean to be so rude." Saia kept staring her down, "You should be. You should be sorry with every fiber of your being, because only God knows what I would have done to your filthy body!"

_What's going on? Am I afraid of his sister? She seems so insecure…and lonely._

"Why are you so dressed up?" Kazuma asked Saia. "Well, I haven't seen you since I went to hell, so I wanted to look nice," she told him. Kazuma sat down next to her, "The Saia I remember always thought she was ugly, no matter what." Saia laughed as she hugged his arm, "That young Saia that you knew has changed." Ayano looked at them with jealousy. The two of them looked so happy. She understood that they were siblings, but it just didn't feel right to Ayano. "You still want to straighten things out with the Kannagis?" Kazuma asked his sister. "Well of course! That's been my dream for so long," she said. "Then let's take you to Jugo. I was going to take Ayano out, but I guess that this is more important.

_This is totally unfair! But then again, it's kind of interesting._


	2. Chapter 2

Umm…yeah I haven't had any feedback on the last one, so I'm just going to continue for the heck of it. I really like this story, and I hope I don't get flames upon Kazuma having a sister. Believe it or not, I've done something like this before and it turned out okay. I know that I'm taking a big risk because Kaze no Stigma's narrative is so complicated it's easy to be "wrong," but I'm willing to take the risk. So, _please_ enjoy, follow, favorite, and/or review.

"So Kazuma," Saia said, "I didn't have a place to stay, and since I haven't seen you in a while, I was wondering if I could stay with you." Kazuma nodded, "I don't see how that's a bad idea." The two of them continued their chatter about life and what happened in that time that they spent without the other. Ayano was beginning to feel like a third wheel, but she tried not to let it bother her. She knew the situation. Two close siblings who haven't seen each other in a while would catch up on things didn't seem like much of a problem, but when you considered who the siblings were, and then it became complicated. Especially these two.

So far as Ayano knew, Saia was an arrogant girl who was very snobby and had little respect for anyone at all. She would lose her cool often, and would act like the entire world was at her disposal. She seemed smart enough for Ayano's liking. However, the lack of manners just ruined everything. Ayano was desperately searching for a reason to like Saia, but she was giving her more and more reasons not to. She was probably the most arrogant person on the face of the earth.

Kazuma was almost the same as her, but with a bit more respect. Not really, but Ayano thought that. He was arrogant, but in comparison to Saia, it was absolutely pathetic. Unlike her, he could actually control his temper unless you took his coffee. The only downside was his love of money. He cared about it more than anything else, and that's what bothered people the most. Ayano knew him better, so it made sense that she liked him more, but she really, really disliked his sister.

Although she was just getting to know the snob, Saia seemed pretty interesting. You could say Ayano was eavesdropping. "So how's the youma hunting going?" Kazuma asked. "I compared it to hell didn't I?" Saia smirked, "Yeah, things aren't going too well. It's starting to become less fun, and all the youma are becoming absolutely pathetic, but you know why I am hunting anyway." Kazuma scratched the back of his head, "I don't remember." Saia giggled a bit, "It was a nonprofit job where I could help people. Of course, most of them, well actually all of them, were too grateful and they gave me twice as much money as the job was worth if I gave fees. It would be rude to turn it away, so I accepted it."

"Hold on," Ayano butted in, "Who's older?" Kazuma pointed at Saia. "I'm two years older than him," she replied. Ayano arched an eyebrow, "Really? It looked like you were two years younger, not older." Saia began to laugh again, but she managed to suppress it after some time, "Did you hear that Kazuma?" Kazuma began to stretch his arms, "Yeah, well I don't really care about the looks. I would dress up in a girl's clothes, but that all depends on how much money you're giving me, you know?"

"That's so like you, being selfish."

"You're not exactly selfless either."

"Well I managed to take care of you for so long, now didn't I?"

"Yeah."

"Is that the Kannagi Property?"

"Yeah."

"It hasn't changed at all since I was a child…"

Ayano was interested in all of this talk of them being Kannagis. She wondered what Saia's past was like. She was busy thinking about it in her Father's room while they were discussing things with Genma. In the midst of her thinking, a heated argument broke out amongst Saia, Kazuma, and Genma.

"You ran away from the family. You weren't disowned at all!"

"That's not how I remember it. I had a duty to protect my younger brother, and that's what I did. It's wrong how you completely disregard the well being of your own children for the sake of your godforsaken honor. I mean what the hell?"

"Don't deny it old man; you let her go without saying anything."

"I didn't raise any rouge. You disgrace me."

"Yes, Father. You made that apparent four years ago."

"A Kannagi using light magic brings shame to the family?"  
"We have no room for those who cannot master fire magic."

"I could master it Father! Light was just a better path for me."

"That's enough. As far as I am concerned, Ren is my only child. This wind mage and light user are not my children."

Genma got up and left. The remainder of the group just watched as he did. "This is so unfair," Saia said, "All I ever wanted to do was gain his approval, so I tried using the most divine form of magic. Worse, I have to be shunned just by keeping a promise." Jugo looked at her curiously, "Only the ancient Kiragami family could use light magic. Tell me, how did you manage to master it?" Saia put her smirk back on again, "I have a contract with the twin goddesses of light."

Hearing that made everyone go dead silent. A spirit king had many powers, but a god or goddess had all of them that related to the magic. Having a regular contract with a spirit king was like a joke to a contractor of the gods. They were essentially the gods and goddesses themselves made human. "I don't believe it…" Jugo said. "You better believe it," Saia said, "Well, I'm off. I just got officially disowned, so there's no point in me hanging around here anymore. Kazuma, where to?"


	3. Chapter 3

Please enjoy and leave a review!

Saia came out of the bathroom wearing white silk pajamas. Kazuma took one look at her, impressed. "How much did those cost you?" he asked. "Practically nothing," Saia scoffed, "I have too much money and it's rarely spent on anything worthwhile." She sat down next to Kazuma, and instead of giving him her usual smirk, she gave him a happy smile. "So, I heard that Jugo has a couple jobs for you. Is that true?" Kazuma nodded as he handed her a can of coffee. "It's a bit late for this, isn't it?" she asked, shaking the can. He gave no answer, so the two of them opened their cans, "Do you think he would let me do some jobs for him too?" He shrugged his shoulders, "Ask him tomorrow."

"Alright," Saia responded, "I still want to keep that promise that I made." Kazuma remembered the promise. She made it when she was nine and Kazuma was seven. He remembered it all so vividly. The other members of the family would tease him, and Saia would be his savior almost all the time.

"_Whenever someone is messing with you and being a jerk, I'll be there, and I'll protect you. Okay?"_

"_Really?"_

"_Sure!" I promise!"_

They two of them held out their pinky fingers, interlocked them, and then bent them. They swore upon it. Kazuma smiled at the thought that both of them remembered something so foolishly stupid. He also looked at his sister, the only person he looked up to, and felt so sorry for her. When their father disowned him, Saia kept her promise by staying with him. They ran into a lot of evil people, which caused her to become cynical. If the world had just been a bit nicer to them, she wouldn't have been so socially awkward. In reality, she was the kindest person Kazuma had ever met, but when it came to others, she would dismiss them as selfish upon sight.

"But now that you're a grown up man and wind magic user, I don't think you have any use for me, is that right?" she asked. "No," Kazuma lied. The truth was he could defend himself from anything, but he didn't want to hurt Saia's feelings. She left her coffee on the table and walked to the extra bed that Kazuma had, but found no use for until now. "I think I'll call it a day. I walked for seventy hours straight just to get here," she said as she lay down.

In the morning, Kazuma woke up to the smell of bacon and the sound of frying. It was six in the morning, and he usually woke up at eight. He looked over at the kitchen, and there was Saia; taking care of him, as always. "Good morning! I thought I'd make you some breakfast. I had nothing to do anyway. I hope you like it!" she smiled at him. "Gee, thanks," Kazuma said as he walked over to see her cooking. It was exactly how he remembered it, except that there was much more of it. It looked as though it was enough to feed the entire Kannagi clan. "Why'd you make so much?" he asked. "I guess I got a bit carried away," Saia said, "Well, eat up!"

Kazuma ate gratefully. It had been so long since he had eaten her food. He remembered how she and Tsui Ling would cook together in the restaurant. They would always wow the customers with their foods. They actually made a pretty decent team, but he knew Saia's cooking was better when she did it by herself. Everything tasted like it was made by angels. He got up from his seat to go brush his teeth. He was trying to remember some important things about Saia, like the fact that she only ate once a day, or that she hated the color red. He mindlessly opened the door, and saw Saia without a shirt on. The two of them looked at each other, and there was an awkward silence for a while. Then, they began yelling at the top of their lungs.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU LOCK THE DOOR?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU KNOCK?!"

Saia quickly pulled her shirt on and continued yelling at him. "It's my bathroom!" Kazuma exclaimed. "Well you have a guest over!" Saia asserted. She was wearing another mini dress, except this one was more casual. It was black, and sleeveless. On her back was a large sword that was almost bigger than her. "Remember this? It's the Irene," she stated as she pulled it from her back. It was about half the width of the sword of Lapis, and the same length. "Okay, okay, you win Kazuma. Now, hurry up. Once you're finished, we head to the Kannagis' place."

The moment Ayano heard Saia's request, she freaked out. "Why would you want to go on missions with us?!" she asked. "Shh…use your inside voice please," Saia put her finger on Ayano's lips, insisting that she lower it down. "Well," Jugo said, "There is one incident that I think we could use your help on. There has been a case regarding a team of youma. It is very unusual for youma to work together, but there are five in the city that seem to cooperate. I assigned Kazuma, Ayano, and Ren to slay the team, but we could use all the help we can get. I think you'd be perfect for the job." Saia put on her arrogant little smirk, "Sounds great. It's a done deal." Steam began to pour out of Ayano's ears. She did not want to work with this woman; no, as far as she was concerned, she would rather burn in hell.

"You said Ren, right?" Saia asked. Jugo nodded his head. "Can I see him?" she inquired. "Yes you may, but there's one condition. I would like to see you do some of your magic. I've heard rumors and read stories about the might of a light magic user, but I would like to see it for myself," Jugo said. "So, all I have to do is show off? Great! Let's take this outside," Saia said as she got up and walked to the exit. "Oh sweet! This is something I have got to see," Jugo laughed to himself. Kazuma and Ayano stared at him. He was totally _not _being himself. "Father, are you okay? Did you eat something rotten?" Ayano asked. Jugo stood up and ran as fast as he could, "Hurry up you morons! She's starting!" Kazuma and Ayano keep staring. "Well, that was… weird…" Ayano said. She had never seen her father like that. She looked at Kazuma, who was turning red. Finally, he let out all of his laughter. "Damn, I don't think I'll ever see Jugo act like such a fanboy ever again in my life! That was priceless! Well, come on Princess. My sister is pretty amazing."

_That jerk! I bet he never told her that _I _was amazing! It's not fair…when it comes to her, it's like he's a completely different person, but with me… No, I can't let this bother me. After all, it's not like their dating or anything. They're just siblings. Really, really, really close siblings. _


	4. Chapter 4

This is probably my favorite chapter out of all of them in this story. We get to see the smallest fragment of Saia's power! Yay! Ok, please enjoy and leave a review! =)

Ayano slowly walked outside and all the color drained out of her face when she saw three hearts above her father's head. His eyes were round, and there were little sparkles in them. Kazuma and Ayano exchanged uncomfortable glances. At first, it was kind of funny, but now it was downright creepy and disturbing. They looked over at Saia, who had already taken out the Irene. She was shining again, but so bright that you couldn't even look at her directly. The ground a couple feet away from her began to shine as well. Suddenly, the sky began to shake, and when it stopped, you could see Saia and her new friend.

Saia had summoned a youma. It had a human head with a serpent's body. The head appeared to be that of a woman, but it had no face, so you couldn't tell. The body was about ten times longer than the Irene was. "She should be able to chop that down to size pretty quickly," Kazuma said to nobody in particular. "What? How would she do that? Look at that thing! It would take even you a while to kill it!" Ayano yelled. "Just watch," Kazuma commanded.

"Well, that's not what I had in mind. This should be easy," Saia smirked. She put the Irene back in its sheath, but she did not once let go of the hilt. The faceless creature charged, but Saia was ready. It appeared as though she did nothing, but her sword was moving and cutting the youma into pieces. You could see a little tingle in her arm. To the naked eye, it seemed as if she was commanding an invisible blade to do the work, but in reality, she was drawing her sword and slashing too fast to see. In a matter of seconds, the youma was reduced down to nothingness. What would take probably half an hour to defeat took less than a minute. "Are you happy?" she asked Jugo. He and Ayano where just standing there, drooling. "Somebody, go get Ren…" Jugo said, still stunned. Hearing this, Kazuma turned and left to go fetch him.

Ren was clearly not in the grounds, so Kazuma decided to track him down. He found him at a tea shop with a girl. Kazuma recognized her. "Hey Karen," he said to the girl. "Ren, we have a guest over and she would like to talk to you, so once your little date is over, go home right away, k?" he teased. "Kazuma!" Ren exclaimed. Kazuma felt someone tug on his sleeve, "Excuse me sir, but my name is Kanon," the girl politely said. "Okay then _Kanon_, can I borrow Ren for a while?" he asked. "Oh sure! We were just finishing up," she told him. "Good," Kazuma said as he grabbed Ren.

"Hey Saia; I got him for you," Kazuma called out. She turned around, and when she saw him, her face smirk turned into that same soft smile she gave Kazuma that morning. "I haven't seen you for so long," she smiled. Ren looked at her with an arched eyebrow, "Kazuma, who's that?" Kazuma cringed a little and Saia looked dumbfounded. She managed to collect herself, but she looked angry more than anything. She slowly walked to Ren, smiled her faint smile, and then slapped him hard across the face. "I thought the Kannagis had at least some self dignity. It looks as though I am horribly mistaken," she scoffed. Ren rubbed the red mark on his face, "Ow; what was that for?" He asked. "For forgetting me you freak!" Saia yelled. "Take it easy Saia. It's probably because he's never really seen you before," Kazuma tried to calm her down. "He hasn't?" she asked. "Think about it. You were so busy hanging around me; he's probably never even seen your face. If you say your name, then he'll remember. I'm sure. You were pretty famous back then," he reassured.

"Yeah, because _everybody _knows the great Saia Kannagi!" Ayano said in a mocking tone of voice. Saia glared at her, and instantly, she stopped. "Saia?" Ren repeated. "Yes. What, are you not right in the head?" she irritably asked. The answer was a tight hug from Ren. She smiled her smile again, and began stroking his hair, "That's better." She returned the hug, "How have you been?" The hug lasted for a while longer, and then Ren looked up at her with two streams flowing down his cheeks.

"All my life I was told I had an amazing sister, and now, I finally get to see her for myself. You're just like they said!" he cried. "Stop your crying and look at me," she told him. "It's the first time I've seen you in six years. I want to see you smile."

_Ren, I don't want to see you sad. Smile for me._


	5. Chapter 5

Please enjoy and review as always!

"So, it looks like I've meet all my family members," Saia stated, "I'm leaving. We meet tomorrow for the hunt, right?" Ayano mimicked everything she said in a little girl's voice. Saia gave a grunt of disapproval. "You know, I'm not going to put up with this shit. You aren't even worth killing," she said to Ayano. With a salute, she sashayed out of there as if she owned the place. "Well, I have to go. There are things I want to show her, and she doesn't know the city all that well," Kazuma said. "Later!"

"So, what is it that you want to look at?" he asked as he caught up to his sister. "Well, actually I was going to go a bar. My friend named Gwen brought me there once. I would like to go there again. By myself," she told him, "If anything pops up, I'll call you. Okay?" Kazuma nodded, "Sure." She gave him her gentle smile again and went off on her way. Kazuma noticed that the Irene had disappeared. He realized that he was acting like a little kid. He couldn't change the fact that Saia brought out his true colors, he was just glad that she was back.

Saia sat down at a stool. She picked the wrong day to come there. There was a party, and underage kids were getting drunk. There wasn't anything she could do about it though. She didn't come to pick fights, just to drink. She ordered her drink and it came instantly in a small glass. She took it and thought as she drank. She couldn't protect Kazuma anymore. He just didn't need it. She ordered another drink. He was beginning to love others now. She was probably just a pest getting in the way. She ordered another drink. It was the first time she saw him in the two years that felt like forever. Why was the world doing this to her? She ordered another. Soon, she lost track of how much she was drinking. She began to get dizzy, but she continued on, until her thoughts were figments of a maze.

Kazuma looked up at the clock, worried. It was 11:30 at night, and Saia wasn't back yet. He decided to call her, but then remembered that he didn't have her cell phone number yet. He paced back and forth, trying to tell himself that she was okay. She was a big girl. She could handle herself. It wasn't like she was going to get sexually assaulted, right? Of course not. She would never let that happen to her. Maybe she passed out. Maybe she got into a fight. Maybe she ditched him. Maybe she just lost track of the time. Ten minutes passed; then twenty. Finally, he heard keys jingle and the door open.

Saia looked ahead. The room wouldn't stop moving. It would get flipped and it would undulate. Even so, she tried to move forward. Kazuma watched her stumble until she got to him. She couldn't make out the face since her vision was so blurred and everything was moving wildly, but who else was there. "Hey there," she said. Her head throbbed, and her speech was slurred; nothing above a coarse whisper. "Have you been drinking?" Kazuma asked. "Oh yeah… I was… for a long… long… time," she said. "I can tell. You don't look like yourself at all," he pointed out. "How was your… night?" she asked. It was so exhausting for her to speak. She had to pant in between phrases. "How much did you drink?" he interrogated. "I… don't remember, but I- Oh God!" she exclaimed as she felt the great wave of nausea. She covered her mouth with her hand and ran to the bathroom. Kazuma watched as she did so, and frowned when he heard her belching. He walked to the bathroom and rubbed her back as she hurled. "Had a bit too much, didn't you?" he asked. She managed to give him her gentle smile before another wave shook her. Kazuma got her clothes and turned around while she undressed. When she was dressed in her pajamas again, he helped her go to bed.

5:00am

He watched as she went to the bathroom again. It was the third time that night. She came back out with a single hand over her stomach and lay down again. She didn't go to sleep though. She kept tossing and turning. Kazuma got up and walked over to her, "Tell me if you need anything." Saia pretended to be asleep. Kazuma completely read her mind, "Don't play games with me. It's obvious to see that you're in all sorts of pain." She pretended some more. Giving up, Kazuma lay back down and fell asleep.

9:00am

Kazuma noticed that he hadn't been soothingly woken up by Saia like he usually was when she was around. He took a single look at her, and said, "You have got to be kidding me." He watched her cringe in the midst of her own pain, trying desperately not to make a sound. She was sweating a lot, and she was hugging herself so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Damn it Saia! Why didn't you tell me this?" he asked in frustration. She stopped cringing and began to pant, "You were… sleeping." Kazuma looked at her again. It looked like she wanted to scream in her agony, but she didn't want him to wake up. He sighed, "Look, we meet up at seven. If you're better by six, then you're going. If not, you're staying here." There were no complaints coming from Saia, who was too wrapped in pain to even notice he had said anything.


	6. Chapter 6

As always, please enjoy and leave a review! I know, I know. I have a fluency issue =p

By two in the afternoon, Saia seemed just fine, so they headed out to complete the case along with Ayano and Ren. They soon found out where Kazuma's perception came from. "I'm sensing five auras. One of them is enormous and is far more powerful than the others. Two of them are average. One of them is extremely small. The last one is better immense, but not as large as the first one," Saia stated. "What are you, Miss Perfect?" Ayano asked, agitated by her expertise and the way she would show it off. "I have an obsession with hunting youma. I've been doing it for so long; it's almost second nature for me. I have seen more in battle than you will ever come to see," she told Ayano. "Hey! I've been fighting for all my life!" Ayano asserted. "Yes, but your technique is to kill with a single blow. By the way, Kazuma mentioned it. My techniques rely on speed. The one I used to impress Jugo is called sword of the breeze. There's another one, but I would like you to see it rather than have me explain it to you. It's very graceful," Saia said. "It sounds to me like you have no magic whatsoever and always show off your swordsmanship. Isn't that right? I bet you couldn't use magic even if we gave you all the money in the world!" Ayano yelled. "How dare you!" Saia spat back. "Hey!" Kazuma exclaimed, "We came here to kill youma, not each other, k?"

The girls stopped bickering and stared each other down. "Speaking of youma," Kazuma added, "Look in front of you." They did as he said, and found a winged youma staring back at them. Ayano saw this as an opportunity to humiliate the show off bitch. With a quick slash from Enraiha, the youma was gone. "That was easy," Ayano taunted. Saia put on her smirk, "Of course it was. That was the weakest one." Another youma appeared behind her, but she easily sensed it. She put her hand on the hilt of the Irene and turned around. Within seconds, the thing was destroyed. "Just sit back Ren," Kazuma said. "Why?" Ren asked. "I figure these two are going to be so busy competing to see who can kill the most youma, so we won't have to do anything but watch," Kazuma stated as he leaned back. They watched as Ayano cut one in half and Saia beheaded the same one. "That eliminates all of the lower level ones," Saia said, "The real fight begins now." She turned to face the last remaining youma. "I thought there were five," Ayano said. "There are. The most powerful one is probably watching somewhere I can't sense their aura," Saia told her, "Are you ready?" Ayano dismissed the question as an insult, "Well duh! Hey, Kazuma! Ren! Don't just stand there!" Saia laughed, "Oh yes. It will be more fun with more players in the game.

Kazuma shrugged and dragged Ren along with him. Before they even got there, Saia and Ayano had already killed the youma. "Okay big guy. Stop hiding. Where are you?" Kazuma called out to the strongest youma. It was standing in the shadows. It had a leaf shaped head with yellow catlike eyes. It had extra arms on its back, and it was about nine feet tall. "Now that's a lot of arms. Maybe I could help with that," Kazuma stated. His wind cut them all off. Before the arms could fall to the ground, they were reattached by the youma. "Hm, this could be fun," Saia said. She looked at it and analyzed some important assets. "Don't even try beheading it," she told her comrades, "The neck is made of metal." Ayano smiled when she heard Saia's last sentence, "I guess I'll just burn it off!" She sent a blast of fire at the youma's neck, but it moved away too fast. "Ayano, behind you!" Ren yelled. She couldn't even look. The youma created a gigantic slash down her back. She was taken completely by surprise, and was incapable of doing anything. Saia again analyzed the thing's hands. Three claws on each of them. She put her hand on the hilt of the sword, but it moved away too fast. It was behind Ren, but it sent three claws into Kazuma's body. Then as Ren turned around, it carved an x on his chest. All of it happened too fast for anyone to do anything. Saia was the last person standing. She rushed toward the others, who were conscious, but had sustained severe injuries. She gathered them all together in a corner. Ayano tried to get up, saying, "I have to stop this thing!" Saia shoved her back down. "What the hell are you thinking?" she yelled, "None of you are in any sort of condition for fighting! If you wish, you may try to help me, bleed out, and have that thing tear you to bits; or you could stay here, protect each other, and be of some actual use. Your choice." None of them got up.

"Good," Saia said. She turned to face the youma. The smirk on her face was replaced with an angry look. "Now, you pay," she threatened. Ayano was scared at the sound of her voice. She had always heard her speak with a tinge of flirtatiousness, but it was all gone now. Her voice was hollow and it actually sounded intimidating. They watched as the creature let out six of its claws to strike Saia. Ren and Ayano gasped as they all pierced her, but there was no blood. Quickly, Saia dissipated, appeared behind the youma and hacked off some of its arms. "That's her technique. She calls it the ghost," Kazuma said, "To the naked eye, it looks like she's some sort of ghost, but that's not it. She's a light magic user. They were known for their speed until they were all wiped out. She can only do it for a little while, but Saia's capable of incredible speed. That's what produces the ghost effect that you see." Ayano watched some more. The youma's arms reattached themselves, and it tried swiping Saia with a hand, but she did the ghost again and again and again. She produced many cuts on the youma's body, but that barely fazed it. "I hate to admit it, but she's got some pretty good moves," Ayano stated. "Yeah, but she's using them too much," Kazuma said. "What does that mean?" Ren asked. "She needs to produce a lot of energy to perform the ghost. If I where her, I would limit myself as to how many times I used it. Maybe around twenty times. She's already used it over thirty times in this battle though. I won't be surprised if she passes out soon," Kazuma informed them.

Suddenly, they heard a crash. Kazuma was right. Saia had reached her limit and the youma managed to catch her and pin her down to the ground. She was squirming desperately, trying to escape its grasp. It said something that sounded like "How should I torture you to death?" Its speech was heavily distorted though. Upon hearing this, Saia's eyes grew wide. She began to exert more energy into trying to get away, but it was no use. She was fast, but she wasn't all that strong. The youma let its long tongue out. It wasn't just long, but the end was sharp. It licked the top of her head just for the joy of terrifying her. It poised its tongue, and then sent it spiraling into her stomach. Kazuma covered Ayano and Ren's eyes, hiding them from the bloody scene that was happening before them. Even so, they could still hear Saia's screams of pain. The tongue moved up her stomach and she screamed even louder.

"This is terrible," Ayano whimpered. She hated Saia, but she wasn't cruel. "Do something Kazuma," she told him. "I can't," he said. Ayano shoved his arm away from her, "And why not?!" Kazuma looked down at his wounds and frowned, "I've exhausted most of my energy on trying to regenerate, but so far, that isn't working. I doubt I could even stand with these injuries." Ayano looked at her male companions. Ren wasn't strong enough to do much of anything, and she already knew the deal with Kazuma. It was all on her. She got up and summoned Enraiha. Her cut still hurt, but it was bearable. "Ayano, don't. You heard what she said!" Kazuma told her. "You're right. I did hear it, but you can't just let someone protect you for all of your life. More importantly, you can't let your protector die for your sake. That's not how you repay someone," she said. She didn't elicit a response, so she didn't waste any time.

_Spirits of fire, please protect me from this beast._

She summoned some spirits, but rather than going into her flame, they made a protective force field around her body. It was strong enough of function, but it was small enough so that she could still land some attacks. The youma stopped playing with Saia and looked at Ayano. "I wondered what all the noise was," it seemed to say as it put its tongue back in its mouth. It sent out nine claws to finish her off, but they were all thrown off course when they hit the force field. The creature tried a different approach, which was swiping her, but its hands simply bounced back. Ayano kept walking forward until she was right in front of it. Saia was on the ground, watching Ayano. She wasn't blinking and was perfectly still. She looked dead, but she was just barely alive.

_So that's her technique. A shield. It isn't that bad, but how long can she keep it up?_

Ayano charged forward. The youma sent more claws at her, but the same thing happened. As she got closer, she tried to attack. Her force field turned into a lighter shade of red. The youma tried to hit her with the back of its hand, and it sent her flying. She hit the ground with a loud thud. "I don't know why, but none of my attacks will even land on you," it seemed to say. Saia got up and covered her gigantic wound with a hand, " That's because she has the blessing of spirits. When she attacks, she loses focus and that weakens her shield. You're doing very well, Ayano, but you would benefit from much more practice." Ayano got up again and brushed the dirt off her clothes, "I know. Now, what do you say we destroy this thing?" Saia smiled, "Of course." The youma nervously looked at the two of them, "Now ladies, let's be reasonable…" It tried to strike each of them with nine claws per capita, but Saia used the ghost and Ayano used her force field. "Now!"

Soon enough, they hacked off all of its arms and they even managed to cut off the head. Once the job was done, they looked at each other and exchanged friendly smiles. "We won!" Ayano squealed. Saia looked at the injured males, her own bloody hand, and Ayano. "Yes, but at a great cost," she mentioned, "Well done Ayano. You managed to earn a little of my respect, but it's going to take more than that to gain my approval of you dating Kazuma." Ayano began to blush madly, "How do you know?!" Saia laughed, "It's very obvious." The two of them laughed as they walked back to the boys. "What do you saw we go home?" Saia asked. All of the others nodded. "Stay close to me," she told them. They all shinned brightly, before disappearing.


	7. Chapter 7

I have writers block for my other stories, so I really have no choice but to write for this one over and over. UGH I HATE WRITER'S BLOCK! Yeah. So, I bet you know the drill by now. Please enjoy and leave a review. Oh yes, one more thing: this chapter is set in Saia's point of view.

My life began when I was twenty.

My own life began when I was twenty.

Ever since I was a small child, my father, Genma Kannagi, owned me. He made my life so that it wasn't mine.

I never experienced the power of true will.

I never had the right to choose my own faith.

I was taught one simple truth:

Every member of the Kannagi family had to follow the Kannagi code.

I never thought that I would break through the one illusion that ruled the life that wasn't mine.

On that one day, when I was seven and Kazuma was five, I had decided my fate. I didn't know how serious it was, but I knew that I would do anything to make sure that I lived up to it.

They were starting again. They were making fun of him again. Just seeing them do something like that made my blood boil. I couldn't understand how ruining someone else's life was so amusing to them. He was so afraid, and there they were laughing at him. They threw fire at him. Everyone thought that there was something strange about Kazuma. He wasn't protected from fire; a sign that he didn't belong in the family at all. I understood that completely. It was rubbed in my face every day. I would get punished whenever I protected him, and the lecture was always a part of my punishment. I understood why they thought of him as an outsider, but my limits were far shorter than theirs. I wasn't willing to go that far for the sake of our honor. No, not at all.

I ran in front of him as fast as I could, and I blocked the fire. Then, I threw it back at them. Of course, that didn't do anything, but I would still do that even if they were innocent civilians who didn't have protection. I was the eldest daughter of the Kannagi family at the time, but I wasn't the heir to Enraiha. According to that ridiculous code, unless there was a son, the eldest daughter was to be the heir of whatever it was that the family owned. Kazuma was the heir of the Enraiha, and I wouldn't be fighting him for it. The new child of Master Jugo would. However, even though I wasn't the heir to the sacred weapon, I was older than the other children. I deserved respect from them, and fear.

"Why don't you go waste your time on something else?" I challenged. "Why do you always have to stick up for that wimp?" Shinji asked me. Ah yes, my cousin Shinji. I haven't heard from him ever since I left, but I'll have to go talk to him soon. "Why do you always pick on him?" I asked, "Go away!" The boys looked at each other and did as I commanded them to, since I had authority over them. At the time, I had great potential for fire magic. I was constantly told by my mother that I could do many great things with it, but ultimately, it was a symbol of imprisonment for me. That's why I gave it up.

Kazuma got up and thanked me. I smiled back at him. "You don't need to worry. Hey! I have an idea! From now on, whenever someone messes with you again, I'll be there to protect you. How's that?" I enthusiastically proposed. Kazuma's eyes grew wide. "Do you mean it?" he asked. I held out my pinky finger. I laugh at how sacred that used to be when I was a child. It was like swearing to God. "Sure I do! Pinky promise!"

From then on, I always protected him. I broke almost all of the rules of the code just for his sake, and I even tried to attack Father. After the results of the inheritance ceremony, I was prepared for the worst. I heard everything that Father told Kazuma. When I was sure that the coast was clear, I began to pack my own things. That was when I was twenty. I was sure that I could protect him from the real world, but I was absolutely clueless to what was out there. I had known nothing but the Kannagi code. Well, that's what I thought. For my entire life, I have known nothing but my sworn duty to protect my brother. The Kannagi code was pointless to me.

When they found out that I was leaving with Kazuma, Mother and Father begged me to stay. "This is desertion! Doesn't the code of the Kannagis matter to you?" Father asked me. I looked at him. It was the first time I looked at anyone like that in my life. Of course, I look at that insolent little brat (Ayano) like that all the time. It's that stare of mine. I don't know how, but it looks like I'm looking for something when I do that stare. I gave him that stare and said, "The life of my only true family is the most important thing I've ever known."

That was a lie. For two years, I left him alone.

I thought he could take care of himself.

He could.

But I could have protected the people he loved.

They were all killed in my absence.

I'm such an idiot! Why did I ever leave?

I know that I'll never make the same mistake again.

But what's the point?

He can take care of himself.

Look at me, speaking to imaginary people.

I need another drink.

It's the only way.

Maybe one day, I can drink myself to death.

He has a lover, and he can protect people now.

He doesn't need me.

Why am I still alive? Is it that one last deed of protection before I die, or am I so selfish that I don't want to die? I don't even deserve life.

Somebody, free me. Kill me.

So that the world is free of my filth.

So that the world is free of all my sins.


	8. Chapter 8

Guys, I am really sorry about not updating any of my other kns fics. I am just completely blank so I'm trying to give it some time and let the ideas come. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you know the drill by now. If not, then please enjoy and leave a review.

"Ah yes; please come in!" Saia smiled as she held the door open for Ayano and Ren. About a month after the case, they scheduled a dinner at Kazuma's apartment to celebrate everyone's recovery. Saia's wounds were the most serious, but she was okay. Ayano sneered at her, "Don't act as if you own the place." The smile instantly disappeared off Saia's face, "I'm sssooo sorry you're royal highness! I was only trying to be polite!" Ren and Kazuma watched the girls argue and bicker. "They do this every time they see each other…" Ren complained. "Yeah well, you know how Ayano is. We might as well get used to it," Kazuma explained.

"At least I don't play with sticks I can't control," Saia snickered. "I know how to use Enraiha!" Ayano asserted. "Yes, but here's the difference between our weapons: Enraiha is an extremely rare glow stick, and the Irene is actually a sword," Saia taunted. "I don't dance around when I fight. I just get the job done. Your so called 'techniques' are just fancy dances moves that are just for show. I mean, seriously; if you're going to kill a youma at least do it right," Ayano said. "I spent years developing those!" Saia yelled. "Are we going to eat or what? You two would destroy the entire building if I let you," Kazuma interrupted. Ayano and Saia got up very close to each other and began to stare each other down. So close that their faces were almost touching. Suddenly, Saia's hand came falling down onto Ayano's face. It caused her to fall and Saia kept her on the ground. "Oops I guessed my hand slipped. How can you ever forgive me for this?" Saia sarcastically asked. She let go of Ayano and walked inside.

"I thought you two were going to be friends after that battle," Ren said as he was about to sit down.

"Me friends with this little brat that never ceases her infernal squeaking?"

"Ren what are you thinking? I would rather give up Enraiha!"

"How about," Kazuma again interrupted, "WE EAT?" The tension was so high that you could feel the temperature in the room rising. The girls began to stare each other down. "Yeah I think Kazuma has a point," Ren laughed. "Fine!" Ayano yelled as she began to gorge herself. "This is good! Where did you get this?" she said as she finished and entire plate in a single bite. "I'm glad that you like it. We didn't get it from anywhere. I made it," Saia rolled her eyes. When she heard this, Ayano instantly stopped eating. "It's okay. I didn't lace it with poison or anything. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. You're just so much fun to piss off," Saia pointed out. Ayano ignored the half assed insult and resumed eating like a maniac.

For the next thirty minutes or so, they ate in silence. It became evident that Ayano didn't have any table manners whatsoever. She randomly said something, "I've never seen light magic before." Saia put on her smirk, "Actually you have. It was when I used the ghost. To travel at such a speed I needed to infuse light inside my aura, which is no easy task. However, if you would like to see more, I'll show you when we're finished."

Her companions sat there frozen, and then they began to eat about ten times faster than normal. Saia stared in bewilderment. "We're done!" all three of them said in unison. Still a little confused, Saia lead them outside. "I had no idea it was humanly possible to inhale food that fast," she muttered to herself. "Never underestimate the human capability when it comes to excitement," Kazuma told her. "You've seen my magic before," she said. "It's been two years. I'm sure you'll put on a better firework show," Kazuma said.

Once they arrived at the old park where Catherine and Ayano had their duel, Saia started off with a lecture. "First, what is light?" she asked. "Well duh? It's the stuff that the sun radiates! Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Ayano asked. "Yes, I do. You're correct, but that's the wrong kind of light," Saia said. "Is it lightning?" Ren asked. "No. Kazuma, tell them," she instructed. "The kind of light she's talking about is the purity of deed and will. It's kind of a mix of all three. It looks like sunlight, but it can be molded into any shape. It also happens to be the reason that light magic users were known for their speed," Kazuma explained. "Wonderful answer as usual," Saia complemented.

"Light magic is a very powerful form of magic, which is why the twin goddesses only gave it to one family. However, Armagest, the most powerful magic users on Earth, saw them as a threat and wiped out the family. Since then, I have been the only light user. I do have a contract, but you've seen me in action. I've never used my contractor abilities, so I'm not sure what additional features there are. Anyway, to use light magic, one must have a single wish that is pure. They must be willing to sacrifice everything for this wish. It must be the only thing that matters. I have such a wish, but I am not willing to tell you what it is. This is the purity of will that summons the light. From there, all you have to do is think."

"Light magic users have many abilities. Since I'm confident that I'm the only living light magic user, then we'll just talk about my abilities. I can see the light and darkness in people when I wish. I can see how many sins you've committed and what they were. I can also do the same with good deeds. I can also perform…" Saia stopped speaking and she began to shine brightly. When she stopped shining, there were two Kazumas.

"…tricks of the light," she said. She then turned back into her original form. "I can also create weapons from this light. Since it's light, it is very bright. I can blind you with it. If I desire, I can steal all the light from an area. Our most impressive assets are our seals. They look like summoning circles, but they aren't. They can be used to seal and extremely powerful opponent away or for healing. Our most powerful seal is called the seal of the sun. It's used to keep powerful monsters away. Things like demon lords. If I was there to aid you in the fight against Xenon, I would have used it. The only side affect is that it requires so much energy that I would die, kind of like the grand ceremony of the Tsuabukis. As an example, I will use a healing seal."

She drew the Irene from her back. "Don't get freaked out, and Ren; sorry for the graphic image," she said as she tucked the sword under her arm. She thrust it forward, severing it. Then, the ground below her displayed a random pattern of shining lines. The shining suppressed itself for a moment, and then it became so bright that it couldn't even be looked at. In seconds, the arm was reattached.

"The last thing is that I can teleport things. That's all," Saia said. "Wait a sec. If you could heal using your little seals, then why didn't you heal us during that case?" Ayano asked, clearly agitated. "All of your injuries were severe. It would take too much time and energy. If I did heal you, I wouldn't have the energy to fight, and that thing could have easily taken all three of you down again," Saia explained. "Okay, this is boring," Ayano said. "I would be happy to spar with you," Saia challenged, "If you can take it." Ayano felt offended, "Of course I can!"

"Enraiha, come forth!"

Ayano charged at Saia, who didn't even have the Irene out. "You can't fight what you can't see," Saia said. She summoned a beam of light that blinded Ayano for a few seconds, and that few seconds was all Saia needed to win. When Ayano could see again, the Irene was resting on her shoulder pointed towards her neck. "Hey! That's no fair!" Ayano yelled. "Then let's do it again. I won't use my magic, but you can because you're absolutely hopeless without it," Saia intimidated.

Out of anger, Ayano tried to slice Saia's head in half, but she easily blocked it. Saia played the same card, and Ayano blocked. Saia used the sword of the breeze with the Irene still on Enraiha. "I thought you said no magic!" Ayano said, struggling to keep her sword up over Saia's strength. "This doesn't require any magic!" Saia asserted, mimicking Ayano's voice. The fight ended with Ayano losing again. "Listen up little girl," Saia said, giving Ayano her stare, "Don't think to fight me again. You will _never_ be as strong as me. As it stands now, I don't think you'll even be one tenth as strong as me." Ayano looked up at her with fear in her eyes.

_I'm still scared, but it feels like…her eyes. They look so tired. They look like she's yearning for all of this violence in the world to stop. I wish I could help her, but…_


	9. Chapter 9

**As usual, please enjoy and leave a review!**

**Kazenostigmafan4ever- I promise there will be AyanoxKazuma soon! In about four chapters maybe.**

To commemorate their victory, the Kannagis invited Saia and Kazuma over for lunch. "I think we already settled this over that dinner," Saia scoffed. "Yeah, but if you ask me, the Kannagis are a bunch of drama queens that wave around fire," Kazuma told her. "I didn't much think of that," Saia said. "It's Ayano isn't it?" Kazuma asked. "I suppose so. I try to like her, but something about her just doesn't feel right. I see darkness in her aura," Saia shivered. "Doesn't everyone have darkness in their aura?" Kazuma said as he opened the door.

Three of the branch families and the main family were there. Saia and Kazuma sat down at the two empty places. Saia looked at the food in front of her. She had skipped breakfast just for this. All of the food was served in small portion sizes, which pleased Saia. She only ate once a day and she never ate that much at all.

"Ahem," Jugo cleared his throat, "Welcome to the house of the Kannagis. Now, there are some things we must discuss. You were fighting against a team of youma, correct?" The four of them nodded their heads. "Detective Tachibana has noticed that more squads of youma have been appearing throughout the city, which is not normal. Most of them are weak, but there are the select few teams that are…difficult. The branch families would never be able to handle them, and so I'm counting on you. Of course, I'll pay you extra for it," Jugo explained. "I've encountered something like this before," Saia stated. "Really?" Ayano asked. "Yes. I was attacked by a large squad of weak youma, which I took down easily. One ran away, and I followed it. The creature that was the mastermind turned out to be no youma, but I couldn't defeat it. I left and assumed I wouldn't have to deal with it, but what do you know?" Saia explained. "What'd you see?" Ayano inquired some more. "I saw a demon lord," Saia said.

Everyone froze. There was no way that any one of them could beat a demon lord. "How are we supposed to deal with something like that?" Ayano yelled. "Now, you can't kill most demon lords, but you can seal them away," Saia explained. "So in other words, I'm stuck with you again!" Ayano grumbled. "You make it sound like such a bad thing! I am deeply hurt!" Saia sarcastically remarked, "Anyway, this demon lord is pretty famous. I recognized him right away. He's the lion lord. He's smart, but he thinks too much of himself." Ayano began to laugh so hard she cried. "You just described yourself!" she exclaimed. Saia ignored her. "If we attack when he doesn't expect it, he'll be unprepared. I suggest in the next three days or so. He doesn't think we will have figured it out so quickly," she said.

"Very well. Kazuma, Saia, Ayano, and Ren will be going out against this one. If things get too difficult, I'll send Genma," Jugo said. "How will you know?" Ayano asked. "She's so full of questions today," Saia muttered to herself. "Your cousin Veronica is extremely perceptive. She's fighting a youma squad right now, but if she wanted to, then she would know exactly what is happening right here," Jugo said. "Okay, so when are we going out?" Kazuma asked. "Next Wednesday," he told them. "So Saia," Ayano taunted, "Are you ready for this?" Saia ignored her some more, and began to eat. "Please Ayano, spare me the infernal squeaking," Saia pleaded. "What did you just say?" Ayano yelled. "Please spare me the infernal squeaking," Saia repeated. "I would rather scribe the word 'loser' on my forehead!" Ayano shook a fist. "Really now? My guess is that your handwriting looks like you dipped worms in a bucket of paint, made them do a hellish mix of break dancing and lambada, and then they somehow exploded from the strain," Saia said. "Take that back!" Ayano demanded. "How about no?" Saia asked.

"Here we go…" Kazuma groaned. "I don't think they could stop fighting even if we gave them money," Ren said. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" Ayano screamed as she threw a ball of fire at Saia. For the smallest fraction of a fraction of a second, Saia shined, and then there were two Ayanos. The second Ayano held her hand out, and made the fire disappear. "That's enough from you two!" Jugo said. He wasn't exactly yelling, but it still sounded scary. The two girls pointed at each other. "She started it!" they said in unison. "I don't care who started it," he said. They stared each other down for a long time, and then began to laugh. Everyone had their eyebrows arched. "You're so fun to play with, child!" Saia giggled. "And you're not so bad yourself for an old hag," Ayano mentioned.

"What did you just call me?"

"Old hag!"

"Oh what do you know?! You're just, like, seven!"

"And you're a dumbass, moron, loser, AND a lolicon!"

"I don't like little girls! What are you blabbering about?!"


	10. Chapter 10

**As usual, please enjoy and leave a review. Has anyone else wondered why anime characters walked with their eyes closed?**

Ayano was walking back home. It was almost her curfew, and so she needed to get back. She was walking with her eyes closed, and she bumped into something. Well, more like someone. It was Saia. "What do you want?" she asked. "I wanted to talk," Saia said. "Look, I'd love to but I going to miss my curfew," Ayano said. "Don't worry about it. I talked to your dad and he said it was alright," Saia explained, "I heard you like ice cream?" Ayano nodded. "I know a great place."

"So what's up? Did you find any information about the lion lord?" Ayano asked. "No, I just wanted to spend some quality time with such a good friend, as we might be dead next Wednesday," Saia winked. "Me, friends with you? Nice joke Saia," Ayano laughed. "Is there something wrong with that?" Saia asked. For the first time, Ayano saw her look concerned for the first time. "Well…it's just that you're so intimidating, and powerful. You seem so independent. It's like you don't have any friends," she said. "Well you're only partially correct. I am very powerful, and I don't have any friends. I guess that makes you the first. You don't mind, right?" Saia said. "Of course not," Ayano replied. "To be honest, I have a lot of questions I want to ask you," she added. "Go on," Saia told her. "What happened to you? Why did you leave?" Ayano asked.

"I promised Kazuma that I would always protect him, so when he left, I left," Saia said. "Just for that?" Ayano asked. "Yes. Kazuma was a different person, so I felt sorry for him. He was so much more loving. Now, he's extremely cynical. It just kills me more than anything to see him as he is now, but people change. I know that. I cannot change things, so I must accept them. Still…" She trailed off. "That's sad," Ayano whimpered. "Not really. Kazuma was the only person who treated me like family, and vise versa. It's his safety that's important, not my happiness," Saia added, "I would gladly get ripped to shreds for him." Suddenly, Ayano stopped licking her ice cream. "Are you serious? You would be so willing to die for him?" she asked. "I wouldn't even hesitate," Saia said. "Is that all you do? Obsess over him? Don't you live your own life?" Ayano began to yell. "I don't really have a life to live. I don't experience pleasure anymore. I don't even eat. It's like I'm not even human. I honestly don't care though," Saia explained.

"If you're trying to sound like a hero, then it's not working! You can't just die for somebody that willingly! You're his protector! Who would protect him if you died? You can't do that! You were brought into this world to live your own life, and you're just wasting away Saia. What's wrong with wanting to stay alive? You can't die, because there are people here who depend on you! The last thing they want is for you to give up your life just for them. You fight to survive, Saia! And you live not just by being here, you experience!"

"If I didn't know you, I would accuse you of being wise," Saia said. She was impressed by the little speech that she had given. "Kazuma taught me that," Ayano replied. "Did he now?" Saia asked. Ayano simply nodded. "That idiot," Saia whispered, "You like him, don't you? How much?" Ayano rolled her eyes. "So you're just going to gloss over that other part, huh? Yeah, I guess. I don't really know how much though," she said. "Enough to get married?" Saia asked. Ayano began to blush madly. "Why are you asking me this?" Saia giggled at the sight of Ayano's pink face. "I want to know that he's in good hands," she said. "Do you ever think about anything other than Kazuma?" Ayano asked. "Come to think of it…no…" Saia said. "You're crazy!" Ayano yelled, "One day, we're going to have to go out and have fun together. Me, you, Kazuma, and Ren. It's going to be great."

"That is, if we survive this fight," Saia said. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so pessimistic?" Ayano slammed her fists on the table. "I'm sorry, but this…we can't possibly beat something of this magnitude," Saia told her. "But we're going to seal it away," Ayano pointed out. Saia smiled her gentle smile. "Of course we are, you smart mouthed little girl."


	11. Chapter 11

**As usual, please enjoy and leave a review!**

Saia knew where the lion lord might be hiding. It was far away from the Kannagi compound. The place was pretty much just and old abandoned forest. It wasn't murky though. The forest was bright and thriving with life, but all of them could feel the immense aura. This lion lord was undoubtedly very powerful, and they were sure that not a single one of them could defeat this thing, but perhaps with the four of them, they could somehow close in on it.

Saia's eyes widened, and she quickly spun around, her hand on the Irene. The lion lord was right in front of her. It had a humanoid male body with fur and a male lion's head. Saia tried to cut him down with the sword of the breeze, but it used the exact technique that Saia was so proud of. It used the ghost.

"You certainly don't waste any time," Saia said. "Hello Saia," the lion lord replied. His voice was surprisingly gentle. It didn't have any hostility in it, and it sounded human. It wasn't distorted at all, and it was kind of familiar. "I know your voice," Saia whispered, "Who are you? Nobody else knows how to perform the ghost!"

Red light erupted from the ground surrounding the lion lord. Then, once it disappeared, a man stood in the demon's place. He had deep blue eyes that resembled an endless ocean or the sky between dusk and the night. He had back hair that was cut like Ren's, but his bangs were neater. "It's me," he said. Somehow, his fur had turned into clothes. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with black pants, all covered up by a brown coat.

"Jin?" Saia asked in disbelief. The way she said it, made it sound like she was about to cry. She walked to the man and looked at him for a while. Then, she spoke. "What happened to you? Why are you the lion lord? This doesn't make any sense at all. Why would you want to-why are you a demon?" she cried. "They got me. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to die, so the only alternative was to let them turn me into this," he answered. "You knew what Armagest did to survivors! You knew! What possible motive would you have to want to stay alive?" she yelled. You could see the stream of tears that was running down her face from far away.

"I wanted to see you again," he said. "Me? Just for me? Why? Why would you do that, you idiot?!" she began to beat her fists on his chest. He gently grabbed them and made her stop. "Look at me," he told her. She did exactly that. "You said that one day, we would see each other again, and all I would have to do was wait for you. I didn't want you to be disappointed. It turns out I was the one who was going to die," he laughed. "But that was two years ago! You shouldn't have any of your humanity!" Saia mentioned. "I fought, Saia. I wanted you to see me as a human; I really did," he said as he wiped away her tears. "Why?" she asked again. He leaned in closer to her and whispered something in her ear.

He went back to where he was, and began to speak again. "I'm going to unleash all of my power now," he said. "No! Don't do that, please!" Saia cried, but she was too late. Jin was beginning to morph. Then, he was back to his lion lord form. "Look out!" Ayano yelled as she blasted fire at him. Her fire was large, and it would have hit Saia, if the lion lord didn't hold her in his arms and turned around. The fire blasted his back, but Saia was safe. Kazuma tried to slice it with his wind magic, but it did the ghost.

It appeared behind all of them, Saia still with him. "Kill me Saia," he said, "Just kill me." Ayano came with the Enraiha and cut him a couple of times. He was taking all of the damage, but Saia saw no reason for him to be doing so. "Stop fighting! Don't hurt him!" she yelled, "Can't you purify him?" Ayano and Ren exchanged uncomfortable looks. "I'm sorry, but we can't purify a demon lord. It's just not possible," Ayano said.

"What?" Saia asked. "If you aren't going to fight, I guess I'll just have to make you!" the lion lord exclaimed. He sent a clawed hand spiraling towards Kazuma, but Saia jumped in and blocked the attack. Then, with one swift slash, she severed the demon's arm. In horror, she looked at what she had just done. "Oh God! Your arm! Don't worry, I can fix this! I just need a seal," Saia screamed. "Don't. It's no use," Jin said. Ayano burned the arm before Saia could retaliate.

"What do you think you're doing Ayano?!" Saia yelled. Suddenly, Jin tried swiping her too. She easily evaded the attack with the ghost, and resentfully lacerated his back. "I can't control my body anymore," he said. He stayed still for a moment, and then tried to kill Ren. Kazuma jumped in to protect him, but his wind barrier was too weak. Jin easily broke through it with his powerful hands. Ayano burned his other arm off, while Saia stood watching in distress. She couldn't believe any of this was happening to her.

Jin was still trying to kill them with his spiked tail, but he abruptly stopped. He had control over his actions it seemed. "Kill me, Saia. Do it while I am still myself," he pleaded. "But I can just seal you away! You can still live!" she asserted. "No. Please don't do that. If you sealed me away, I might start to hate you. If you kept me alive, I would have to kill thousands of people, and I don't want any of that to happen," he said.

"But why me?" she whimpered. "Hurry up! I can feel it coming back!" he urged her. Left with no choice, she walked towards him. She held the Irene against his neck, and with her eyes closed, slashed. Once she opened her eyes, she saw a human body, and a human's severed neck. She went down on her knees and held his head in her hands. She closed his eyes so that it looked like he was just sleeping. She then stood up, and put her hand on the hilt of the Irene.


	12. Chapter 12

**As usual, please enjoy and leave a review. This chapter is set in Saia's point of view.**

Jin was a wonderful person.

He was the only one I loved as much as Kazuma.

When Kazuma met Tsui Ling, she gave us work at her restaurant. She was a very nice young lady. Very sweet and generous.

That's where I met Jin.

He worked as a waiter and I worked as a chef.

He and I would always be together, and we would work together, but it evolved from there.

I guess you could say that I fell in love.

Then, after two years with them, I said goodbye.

I wanted to go out and change the world with my powers.

So I said goodbye to all of them, and I said:

"_One day, all of us will see each other again, and we can live life together in peace. I'll survive that long; I promise. All you need to do is wait for me._

But then, they got Tsui Ling and Jin.

They killed her, and they turned him into that demon.

And I swear; I won't forgive them.

But for now, I must forget them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the long absence everyone! I've been very busy with other works, and juggling seven different websites at the same time is not easy. I'm back, and as promised, I come with KazumaxAyano moments! Please enjoy and leave a review!**

Saia was staring out the window of the car. Since they had too much free time, the team decided to have some fun at an amusement park they went to a while back. It was to her understanding that it was called Dream Land. Of course, she didn't really look forward to it. She was too deep in thought to really look forward to anything.

"Remember when we ran into all those perverts?" Kazuma asked. "Don't even think about talking about them! I can't believe that they weren't put to death!" Ayano yelled. Besides the usual bickering of Ayano and Kazuma, there was silence. Nothing was happening. If you could shut the two of them up, you could hear a pin drop.

It took the eternity of five more minutes for them to get there. Saia had that fuzzy feeling in her head. The feeling where you don't know what you're doing, but you're doing it anyway. That feeling where you mind is in a sort of autopilot.

The day passed by swiftly for her. She thought that she ate something. She thought that she went on a couple of rides. She couldn't remember anything, because she was on autopilot. Yet for whatever reason, she came right back into focus. It was dark, and she was sitting on a bench looking at the Ferris wheel. In the tiny little booth, she saw Ayano and Kazuma. Were they…kissing?

Why yes, they were.

A searing pain shot through Saia's head, and the sound of static was all she could hear. Then suddenly, her world turned black. She could make out a face in the darkness though. Masculine, with black hair and silver eyes; a slender nose and a thin upper lip. She knew this person. He was all too familiar to her. After all, she did kill him only a couple days ago.

"Jin?" she asked. "Yes, Saia. It's me," he said. Saia opened her mouth to say more, but he put a single finger on her lips, telling her to be quiet. He leaned in close, and whispered in her ear. "She's taking him away, Angel."

_She is taking him away._

_That damn Kannagi brat is taking him away from me._

Ayano looked at Kazuma for a couple seconds, before letting her feelings go. She couldn't believe that they did that…and how long it took. Instantly, she got angry. "Kazuma! You jerk!" she yelled. "Really Ayano. What is it?" he asked. "I can't believe you didn't do that sooner! Ugh, is that what you honestly do to girls?"She yelled some more. "Is this what you honestly do to guys? Have them kiss you and then scream at them?" he countered, "Just relax. Enjoy the view."

She looked at the sky. There was nothing special, just a crescent moon and some stars. "Just stars…" she muttered as she sat there, pouting. Then, Kazuma took her hand. "Want to make a wish?" Ayano looked at their hands, and it took her a while to realize that their fingers were interlocked. She closed her eyes, and thought about the things she really wanted. What did she want more than anything else in the world?

"I wish you'll love me forever… I wish we can stay like this."

"I wish that you wished for something else. How much can a lousy guy like me offer anyway?"

Saia looked intensely at the ground until she heard footsteps approaching her. "Hey Saia!" Ayano cheered as she sat down next to the blonde. Saia was about to reach for the Irene, when she remembered that she didn't bring it with her. "So what have you been up to?" Ayano asked. "I don't know," Saia said. Ayano gave her a puzzled look, and there was an awkward silence. "Uh…right…well, Ren is already at the stop with Kazuma. We should go there too. Come on!" she said, trying to destroy the awkwardness. Saia agreed, her mind flying off to different places as her body went into autopilot once more.

On the bus, she couldn't help herself. She just wanted to hurt Ayano so badly. As they were walking to their seats, she stuck her leg out in front of the fire magic user, which caused Ayano to trip. "Hey!" she exclaimed, "What was that for?" Saia kept on walking, ignoring Ayano. She claimed the seat next to Kazuma as her own. She stayed silent throughout the entire way home, not even giving two shits about the stories the other three had to tell. The plan was forming in her mind. There was no plan. She would just let her reflexes take over, as raw as they could be. Not overridden, pure emotion.

Pure _hatred_.


	14. Chapter 14

**I apologize for the long absence. I've got trivia team, track team, campus mediation shift, and college to juggle along with stories, so it's very hard to write anything. I'll try my best though! Please enjoy and leave a review!**

Ayano and Ren had decided to come for dinner again. Kazuma was very excited, and Saia seemed to be as well. She cooked the food with a smile on her face the entire time. Everything seemed to be going along just fine.

Ren and Kazuma were talking while Saia was setting the table. Then, Kazuma let Ayano and Ren inside the apartment. Saia was still busy humming tunes and setting the table, when she heard Ayano's voice. She looked up, plates still in her hands. Ayano was in. The Irene was right by Saia's bed where it usually always was. Still sharp, and still deadly. It was calling her. It was yearning for its master to have it in her hands. Still, she did not use it. Instead, she dropped the plates and watched the china shatter before her.

She then stared at the ground for a while. "Saia?" Kazuma asked.

"Get out."

"Get out of this building."

"Get out of my life."

"Get out…"

"Get out…"

"_GET OUT!"_


End file.
